This invention relates to apparatus for handling severed farm crop and more particularly to new and improved apparatus for mounting and driving a rotary pick-up tine assembly and a rotary stripper drum mechanism.
Farm crop handling apparatus has been described in applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 3,766,725, granted Oct. 23, 1973, and applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 3,721,080 granted Mar. 20, 1973. The apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,766,725 includes a drive strap or coupling straps disposed internally of a rotary stripper drum for drivably coupling a rotary pick-up tine assembly to a rotary stripper drum to drive the drum when the pick-up tine assembly is rotatably driven. Certain types of abrasive soil will tend to abrade and weaken the drive bands or straps. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pick-up assembly of the type described which includes a new and novel drive mechanism for driving the pick-up assembly and the stripper drum.
It is important that the stripper drum and pick-up tine assembly be positively driven in timed relation to preclude the tines from escaping to positions within the crop stripping drum or cylinder as more particularly described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,766,725, which is incorporated herein by reference. It is important that a positive drive force be applied to each of the drum and tine assembly so that the tines can be forced through the dirt to pick-up farm crop even though the crop may be partially embedded in the soil. The positive drive will force the tines through the soil.
It is another object of the present invention to provide farm crop lifting apparatus of the type described having a rotary pick-up tine assembly which is driven by a shaft at one end of the assembly and a rotary stripper drum mounted via an annular sleeve which receives the shaft and is driven from the opposite end.
It is another object of the present invention to provide farm crop lifting apparatus including a rotary tine assembly and a cooperating rotary stripper drum individually driven via endless members mounted in such a manner as to minimize entanglement of farm crop on the endless members.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide farm crop pick-up apparatus of the type described including a rotary stripper drum disposed between a pair of side frame members and mounted at one end via an annular sleeve which passes through one of the side frame members and mounts a sprocket wheel disposed axially outwardly of the side frame member.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide pick-up apparatus of the type described including endless drive members coupled to opposite ends of apparatus for individually driving the tines assembly and the stripper drum.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a single endless drive member drivingly coupled to the pick-up assembly and drivingly coupled to the stripper drum for driving the pick-up assembly and the stripper drum in timed relation.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art as the description thereof proceeds.